Nicole Zwieg Daly, J.D, Ed.D.

Let’s break this down into its two parts. First, let’s define ethical or ethics. Ethics are the moral principles or values that govern an individual’s behavior(s). Second, let’s define perspective. A perspective is a person’s particular attitude toward something or his/her unique point of view.

Think of it like this: An individual’s perspective is like a pair of glasses he/she wears. The person views the world through those glasses each and every day. Now, let’s add an accessory to the glasses, say it’s a polarized tint for those sunny days. The polarized tint is like an individual’s ethics.

Those glasses – or, one’s ethical perspective based on individual life experience – is how someone will generally view their surroundings, thus, making judgments, and taking action. Changing a person’s set of polarized glasses – or their ethical perspective – will change the view and potentially the outcomes.

To make better ethical decision, bring awareness of your glasses and your perspectives to the decision-making process.